EAST ST. LOUIS - A 43-year-old East Alton man pleaded guilty to six felony charges in relation to child pornography.
Hal Dean McBride of the 500 block of Niagara Street pleaded guilty Friday in U.S. District Court in East St. Louis to a six-count superseding indictment charging him with enticement of a minor; receipt of child pornography; accessing child pornography with intent to view (web surfing); and (two counts) of transfer of obscene matter to minor.
U.S. Attorney Stephen R. Wigginton announced Monday that McBride was taken into federal custody on Feb. 24 following an investigation by the St. Louis County (Mo.) Police Department, the Nixa, Mo., Police Department, the Alton and East Alton Police Departments, and the Federal Bureau of Investigation's Metro East Cyber Crimes and Analysis Task Force.
Wigginton said the case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Angela Scott pursuant to the U.S. Department of Justice's Project Safe Childhood initiative, a nationwide effort to address the online sexual exploitation of children.
Wigginton said a factual stipulation filed at the time of the plea reveals that last July 29, McBride asked a individual who he believed to be a 14-year-old girl, but who actually was an undercover officer, to show or send him nude photographs of her genitals. The U.S. attorney said McBride also had online chats of a sexual nature with an undercover officer in Nixa, Mo., who used the persona of a 13-year-old girl, and he also asked for her to send nude photographs of her genitals.
Last Aug. 19, McBride downloaded a child pornography video titled "Tara Gets Molested By a Clown."
McBride used his computer to repeatedly surf for child pornography from Nov. 23, 2009, to Aug. 30, 2010. He used a web cam on Aug. 11, 2010, to transmit an image of himself masturbating with a sex toy to an undercover officer posing as a 14-year-old girl in St. Louis County and another posing as a 13-year-old girl in Nixa.
On the first count of the indictment, McBride faces a term of imprisonment of not less than 10 years, nor more than imprisonment for his entire life; a $250,000 fine; and a term of supervised release of not less than five years to life. On the second count, he faces from five to 20 years in federal prison, a $250,000 fine, and a term of supervised release of five years to life. On the third count, he faces up to 10 years in prison and a $250,000 fine, or both, and a term of supervised release of five years to life. On the fourth count, he faces up to 10 years in prison and a $250,000 fine, or both, and a term of supervised release of up to three years.
McBride's sentencing is scheduled for sentencing on Sept. 7.
"I commend the professionalism and dedication of all of the officers who investigated this deeply disturbing offense," Wigginton said.
cellis@thetelegraph.com
No comments:
Post a Comment